David Lynch’s lithographs allow profound insight into the crepuscular universe of this multitalented artist

In a back courtyard off the Rue du Montparnasse in Paris is hidden the unique workshop of Item Editions, where artists from around the world produce lithographs on Solnhofen stone slabs. An artistic tradition is carried on here with the help of historical presses that have printed such artists as Picasso, Matisse, and Miró. David Lynch (*1946 in Montana)—filmmaker, photographer, and, last but not least, painter—was captivated by this place and its history. “I fell in love,” as he himself says. After initial attempts with zinc plates and prints in black and red, he continues to work there. The artist has since created large-format black-and-white lithographs in keeping with his typical themes: loneliness, love, eroticism, dreams, and death.

This volume presents all of the prints. A conversation between Dominique Païni, former director of the French Cinematheque and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the artist provides yet more insight into the genesis of Lynch’s process of creating unusual lithographs.